Are You “Into” God?

But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.

1 Corinthians 8:6

When I was in college, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, a popular southern rock band, released a new song, "So Into You." It began, "When you walked into the room, there was voodoo in the vibes." The chorus confessed, "I am so into you, I can't think of nothing else." Well, not the best poetry or grammar. But this song popularized the use of "into" to signify one's deep interest in someone or something. A person might also say, "I am so into physics," which means, "I am fascinated by physics. I love physics." To date, I'm not aware of a song about being "so into physics," however.

The original Greek of 1 Corinthians 8:6 speaks of our being "into" God. Paul is beginning to address the problem of Christians eating meat that has been offered to idols. He recognizes that some people worship "many gods and many lords," which are often represented by physical images, or idols. "But we," Paul explains, "know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him" (8:6). Translated more literally, this verse states that there is "one God, the Father, out of whom are all things and into whom are we." That last phrase could be rendered, "We are into him" (eis auton).

What does it mean to be "into God"? The NTL rightly captures the sense, "We live for him." God has created us (and re-created us in Christ) for relationship with him and so that we might fulfill his purposes. To be rightly "into God" is not to be mesmerized by God so that you can't focus on anything else, like the author of "So Into You." Rather, we are "into God" when our whole life becomes an outgrowth of our dedication to God. If you are "into God," you won't spend all of your time in church, worshiping God through songs and prayers. Rather, you will invest all of your time, wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing, worshiping God through serving him. Being "into God" gives focus and meaning to our whole lives, as we learn to live for God each moment.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What are you "into"? Have there been times of your life when you have been more "into God"? What helps you to focus on God in such a way that you live more fully for him each day?

PRAYER: Gracious God and Father, thank you for creating me in a material sense. And thank you also for re-creating me in Christ. I owe you not only my physical life, but my abundant life as well. How good you are to me!

Help me, dear Father, to be "into you." May I see my whole life as a response to your grace. May I learn to live for you and your purposes, not just when I'm doing obviously "religious" things, but also when I'm shopping and driving and talking with friends and sitting in meetings. May I be "into you" when I'm with my family and when I'm dreaming of my future. May I offer you my life each day, so that I might live for the praise of your glory.

I pray in the name of Jesus, your Son. Amen.